It may only be early November, but things are looking exponentially better in Tahoe compared to last year. Right now, this colorful map of the current snow water equivalent as a percentage of normal shows where the most recent storm delivered (California) and which state it left out in the dust (here's looking at you Utah).
More on the California Drought:
The Worst Winter Ever? Sierra-at-Tahoe Closes Due to No Snow
Ski Industry Expert Says 31% of Today's Ski Areas Are Dying
Another Tahoe Resort Closes, This Time It's Sugar Bowl Resort
Inside the High-Dollar Fight to Save California Skiing
8 Excuses From the People Using the Most Water in California
See all that blue in California and Nevada? That's all from the storm earlier this week. And while we can't thank El Nino quite yet, this map looks much better than the snowpack map from November 2014, when Tahoe had a snow water equivalent of just 11 percent of normal. Parts of Idaho also benefitted from this week's unsettled weather pattern and skiers everywhere are rejoicing.
It's too early to know whether this snowy weather pattern will continue for the next few months (although the forecast does look good). It also should be noted that the map above isn't representative of the current snowpack in Colorado, as the same storm that brought 30 inches to Mammoth is hitting Colorado late on November 4 and November 5. We'll reevaluate the snowpack map in a few days after Colorado gets the full benefit of this week's storm.
· National Weather and Climate Center [Official Site]
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